


stuck here

by patchesclick



Category: Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: CEO Joohyun, F/F, broke graphic designer wheein, we love wheerene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-07-16 00:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16074353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patchesclick/pseuds/patchesclick
Summary: Wheein needs a job, and Joohyun doesn't know it yet, but she needs a Wheein.





	1. curse you, elevator

Wheein felt a little bit like she was about to cry as she ran up the steps into the looming office building. This was the third job interview she had had this week, and the second to which she was running late to which she could definitely not afford to do - she only had one more month of rent saved up, and her last decent work blouse was beginning to give in. She was just praying it wouldn’t give in before she got through this interview, assuming they let her interview considering how late she was going to be. 

 

The lobby was large and disconcerting as she made it through the glass doors, and she spent a nervous few seconds trying to locate the reception desk before spotting it across from the row of elevators. Wheein further cursed her organisation as the mess of papers in her bag wasted valuable seconds in finding her appointment letter with the head of design, before eventually locating it and handing it over to the woman behind the desk with a rushed sentence.

 

“I’m here for a - I’m Jung Wheein, I think I’m expected for a, an interview?”

 

She checked her watch anxiously as the receptionist checked her in on the system. Elevator doors open across the way. Her heart skipped a beat. She had to get in that elevator, come on, come on _please_ receptionist lady hurry up.

 

She turned back to the receptionist hiking her shoulder bag further up just in time to catch her speak. 

 

“So you’ll want to go to floor 19 straight down the corridor to the design office, Mr Shi…”

 

Before her sentence was finished, Wheein turned on her heel (almost breaking it in the process), and ran full pelt across the marble flooring, just barely managing to jam an arm into the closing elevator doors. 

 

The doors reopened to a pair of raised eyebrows in a very slightly startled face, which Wheein blankly passed over in favour of pressing her button. 

 

She could probably be forgiven for not paying any attention to the only other person in there with her, as that morning in running for buses and buildings had contained more exercise than Wheein had done since high school, and that last dash had left her bent almost half over with an unhealthy wheeze to her heavy breathing.  

 

The following interruption to Wheein’s panic however, was a little more difficult to ignore.

 

Wheein looked up in alarm as the elevator made some very ominous clanking sounds, startling a little and backing up into the corner as it shuddered to a halt in a series of jerks and groans.

 

Her companion too shifted her attention from the possibly asthmatic girl standing parallel to her to the elevator they stood in, brows continuing to express, except this time with a furrow of concern.

 

There was a short pause where both waited to see what would happen, and when what happened was nothing, no doors opening, no movement, Wheein slid her back down the elevator and sunk her face into her knees and hugging her legs. Now she felt a _lot_ like she was about to cry.

 

“Are you okay?” said her companion, reaching an anxious hand towards her, wondering if she was claustrophobic and if it was better for her to touch her or leave her.

 

The decision was made for her when Wheein snapped her head up making her hand shoot back, startled.

 

A rumpled face looked up at her, eyes slightly unfocused and welling up.

 

“No. I am not okay. I am late to an interview and the elevator has broken so now i’m missing an interview. Which means I will not get this job.”

 

And with that her hunched over form flopped the last couple of inches so she was sitting haphazardly on the floor, knees hugged to her chest and eyes blinking tearfully up at the ceiling.

 

Despite how it may have appeared Wheein hadn’t quite given up on her dignity yet, and was working very hard to keep from ugly crying in front of a total stranger, so she hesitated to look as the other woman took off her suit jacket and folded it over her arm.

 

She couldn't help but look though when she lowered herself incredibly gracefully down to sit next to Wheein, legs extended, ankles crossed and looking very elegant. The total antithesis of Wheein’s flop.

 

Wheein’s brain kind of stopped working for a second as the prettiest face she had ever seen turned towards her and spoke, she couldn’t decide if she was hallucinating or not - eventually she caught up enough to realise that the other woman was waiting for a response though.

 

“What…?” She said. Eloquently. And immediately mentally kicked herself for it.

 

The corners of the world’s prettiest mouth in the world’s prettiest face turned up at the corners, and she repeated herself softly.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

Wheein took a steadying breath.

 

“I’m Jung Wheein.”

 

Correct sentence. Good functioning. Nice.

 

“I’m Bae Joohyun. It’s nice to meet you.”

 

She extended a hand and Wheein hesitated, unwrapped one of her own from the tangle of her limbs and met Joohyun’s, feeling a little self conscious of her own clammy palm when she felt how soft Joohyun’s was and pulling her hand back to tuck it into the mess again.

 

She dragged her eyes away, not really sure of how to go about regaining a little face in this situation, but also wondering what should she care more about. Which was the bigger disaster of the day, embarrassing herself in front of someone very beautiful and very put together, or missing a very important job interview at a very good company, who’s to say?

 

Before she started hysterically laughing and/or crying at herself though, she heard Joohyun’s same gentle voice.

 

“You had a job interview here?”

 

“Yes, in the graphic design department, with Mr, Mr… something.”

 

Joohyun tilted her head towards Wheein.

 

“I’m sure you’ll be able to get another interview, find another position somewhere else, you shouldn't worry.”

 

Wheein sighed. 

 

“I think I’ve tried for every graphic design position open in Seoul at this point, this is my last ditch attempt and then I’m fresh out of ideas. I’m punching way above my weight anyway, I never could’ve gotten hired here. So maybe this is a good thing.”

 

“Fate is giving you a break by stopping you from getting to a job interview?”

 

“Fate is stopping me from facing another rejection. Because clearly,” Wheein gestured to herself, “I’m not in the most emotionally stable state. Rejection probably wouldn't hit me very well right now.”

 

“But why are you so sure you would get rejected?”

 

Wheein gave a little snort and turned her head slightly to look at Joohyun sideways. 

 

“I only graduated like, seven months ago. The only work I’ve done since then has been waitressing and some design I did for a friend’s dance studio, unpaid. I’m late, and unprofessional, and just,,, not very hireable.”

 

Joohyun considered the girl next to her. Young, a bit of a mess, tired and overworked. She seemed like she needed a break - either a literal rest or a professional breakthrough, because without either it looked like she might just crack under the stress. Joohyun knew what that looked like too well. 

 

“Are you any good?”

 

Wheein pulled her face back up from where it had been tucked into her knees again.

 

“Sorry, what?”

 

“I asked if you were any good, at graphic design I mean.”

 

Wheein’s mouth opened and then shut again when she found she didn’t have an answer. 

 

“I don’t know.” She said, honestly.

 

“Can you show me something?”

 

Looking at Joohyun’s serious face Wheein lost control of her words a little.

 

“I emailed my profile ahead, I mean, I haven’t, I don’t have a physical copy or anything, it’s, there’s - my phone? I can show you on my phone?”

 

Joohyun nodded, watched as Wheein’s small hand pulled her phone out of her pocket, flipped through until she found what she was looking for, and handed it over.

 

Joohyun found herself peering through a cracked screen at an album of posters and logos, mostly advertising RBW dance studios with a couple of mock ups for other companies thrown in. They were pretty good.

 

“You’re pretty good.” she said. “Can I email these to myself?” 

 

She started opening Wheein’s email before she could finish a full nod, and in the same moment  the elevator made a loud crunch and began moving upwards again.

 

Joohyun stood up (as gracefully as she had sat down) and finished typing, handing Wheein’s phone back to her.

 

“Go for the interview, Jung Wheein. Things might turn out well.” 

 

Wheein scrambled to her feet, looked up at Joohyun’s now imposingly statuesque figure in a suit and heels pointing an intense gaze at the elevator doors.

 

“Okay.” she said, a little breathless.

 

The doors finally opened at floor 19 and Wheein tore her eyes away from Joohyun, stepped out into the corridor. Straight to the end right? She took a deep breath, pulled her jacket straight. 

 

“Here we go.” she said to herself, and started her walk as the elevator doors closed behind her.

 


	2. what is happening?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wheein is really having a rollercoaster of a day huh.

 

Wheein was sweating, and it wasn’t because she had run to make it there. She was sitting on her clammy palms in an uncomfortable chair, facing the looming figure of Mr Shin over a heavy looking desk. It felt a bit like being called into the headteacher’s office except that this headteacher had the power to give her financial security or alternatively to dash her dreams.

 

So, she sweated. 

 

Mr Shin was looking at his computer screen, the clacking of the keyboard as he pulled up Wheein’s  portfolio the loudest thing in the room. 

 

Wheein felt like she should look away, what if he turned and caught her staring? But she couldn’t pull her eyes away until he stopped his clicking and clacking and turned to look at her.

 

“Jung Wheein. You have almost no professional experience, correct?”

 

Wheein squeezed her hands against the chair.

 

“Yes that’s right.”

 

“And you haven’t had a job in graphic design ever, this is also correct?”

 

Wheein’s heart was falling through her chest and she nodded, understanding where this was going all too well.

 

Mr Shin folded his hands together and planted his elbows on the desk, leaning over towards her with an expression of scoffing disbelief.

 

“You came here with this resume expecting that you would actually…” he trailed off as his desk phone rang and he stared at it for a moment in annoyance before picking up.

 

Wheein tried to sink a little further into her seat.

 

“Yes?” He answered sharply, before shooting up straight in his chair, hitting his knees against the underside of his desk.

 

“Oh yes ma’am I’m sorry, no it’s not a bad time, I’m so sorry!”

 

His jumping had made Wheein jump, and she found herself staring at him again trying to discern who could be on the other side of that phone to have given him such a shock. He was talking again, and nodding.

 

“Yes ma’am that’s right we are still searching, we haven’t found anyone for the position yet… yes of course… I mean, I’m sorry, who was that?” His eyes widened and turned to Wheein. “Yes of course, no problem, I just thought that her resume… no of course, of course. Thank you ma’am.”

 

He hung up the phone carefully and wiped the sweat from where it was gathering on his forehead and turned back to Wheein falling back a little into his chair. His disbelieving look had had all the scoffing taken out of it and he was left looking… shocked? Wheein didn’t really know how to label what was going on with his face, but it was definitely a lot.

 

He eventually spoke.

 

“I don’t know what you’ve done in your life to be this goddamn lucky Jung, but you’re hired.”

 

Wheein’s heart stopped beating and her mouth dropped open. That was decidedly not what she was anticipating.

 

She couldn’t even start to think of what to say in reply to that but it didn’t seem to matter as Mr Shin quickly barrelled on in explaining where she should go an what she should do, handing her forms and telling her to come in on the next Monday.

 

She finally managed to close her mouth when he rose from his seat and stood expectantly in front of her, scrambling up from her seat and meeting his handshake with a quivering pale hand.

 

He seemed to have mostly gotten over his shock as he ushered her out of the office with a professional “I look forward to working with you Miss Jung,” but Wheein’s brain was still processing even after he had shut the door and she was stood in the corridor alone.

 

When it eventually did hit, she wanted to scream. She had a job! At a really good company! doing what she wanted to do! Also, via a mysterious phone call? That bit was a little more vague and confusing but for now at least Wheein shrugged it off in favour the joy that was spreading through and threatening to overwhelm.

 

She practically skipped down the corridor back to the elevator bank, this time being sure to avoid the one she had taken earlier, giving it a brief scowl and sticking her tongue out towards it with all the childish freedom she had been granted by relief.

 

In the elevator ride down Wheein made somewhat successful attempts to control the glee exuding from her, and managed to limit it to the widest grin she had maybe ever had. At least she wasn’t actually jumping up and down though right?

 

Stepping out of the elevator she managed to direct her floating steps to the same front desk she had passed in a whirlwind earlier, meeting the girl sat behind the desk with her uncontrollable grin.

 

“I need to pick up some forms, Mr Shin said I should take them with me from here?”

 

The girl behind the desk looked up at her and her eyes crinkled in response to the smile beaming off of Wheein.

 

“Of course, let me print those off for you - you ran through here earlier right? I take it the interview went well?”

 

Wheein was a little embarrassed at having this moment of unbridled happiness witnessed, but it still wasn’t enough to dampen her spirits as she looked for the name tag the receptionist wore.

 

“Yes Seulgi, you could definitely say that.” 

 

“Congratulations, and welcome to the team Wheein.” Seulgi smiled over the desk at her, full of sincerity as she passed over a brown envelope full of policy forms and contracts to look through. “Have a good weekend!”

 

Seulgi was still smiling at Wheein as she thanked her and practically skipped across the lobby to the doors. How could she not?

 

****

 

Joohyun finished her elevator ride alone, smoothing out her skirt with her hands. When was the last time she had voluntarily sat on the floor? And for a stranger as well. For a moment she let herself consider the fact that maybe it was because this particular stranger was quite pretty, but quickly dismissed the notion.

 

She was emotionally distraught - Joohyun had just been trying to keep her from a panic attack long enough for the elevator to start moving again, that was all.

 

The elevator doors opened and Joohyun stepped out, pulling off her peacoat and passing it to her assistant who was standing and moving out from behind her desk.

 

“Sooyoung, pass on my congratulations to the maintenance team for finally organising their elevator malfunction response.”

 

“Of course, good morning Miss Bae!” Sooyoung took the proffered coat and bowed a greeting with all of her bright enthusiasm, and Joohyun hummed a response as she pushed the door into her office open and stepped through. 

 

It had been months since she had been promoted to CEO of the company, and before that too during the years of working her way slowly up through positions her morning routine upon arrival into work had never changed, starting with reading and replying to emails.

 

But for some reason this morning she couldn’t for the life of her focus on reading any email start to finish without being interrupted by the thought of Wheein from the elevator - it certainly wasn’t aided by the email of her portfolio sat at the top of her inbox, looking at her as she tried to focus.

 

Why had she sent that to herself anyway? She wasn’t entirely sure, it had been somewhat of a spontaneous decision and those were few and far between enough that it was rather unsettling to have made one like that and to have had no ascertainable reasoning for it.

 

Despite herself, she found herself clicking through the pages of Wheein’s work. She was good, could that be why she wanted her work? Professional/artistic curiosity? She could certainly see the quality of the work more clearly now on her computer screen than on a cracked phone screen.

 

She felt herself frowning at the admittedly weak excuse and rubbed the crease between her eyebrows out with a finger. 

 

She wanted nothing more than to ignore whatever this was and get back to work, but something was not letting her focus. A weird knot in her stomach about the whole situation. Worry maybe?

Concern?

 

It would definitely be reasonable to be concerned for someone who you had seen emotionally breaking down in an elevator, that would just be showing basic empathy.

 

So it was more of a personal interest in assuaging her difficult emotions in order to work better that made Joohyun pick up the phone and ring the head of graphic design, not concern for the artist. Or that’s what she told herself anyway.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took me a While!!! like really sorry, next update is all planned but not written and I'm not going to make time scale promises cause i might end up working on something else first, this is not abandoned though, i like these gals too much and i've got a bunch of stuff in this I'm looking forward to.
> 
> if you want a place to talk at me, ideas or requests or bugging me about updates (lol), comments exist and so does my twitter @patcheslef i don't rly use the account for anything but if you want to say things i'm there
> 
> also i didn't edit this and wrote it on different days so if there's inconsistencies/mistakes give me a yell, i'll change them


	3. starting

Hyejin and Byul were sat cross legged on the floor of their dance studio, blatantly ignoring the “No Eating” signs that they had put up themselves with a bowl of instant ramen each and a bar of chocolate in between them that Byul was already anticipating having to fight Hyejin for, when the door swung open violently and loudly enough to make both of them jump practically out of their skins.

“I have a job!!!” 

By the time Wheein’s shout had registered with Byul, Hyejin had already dropped her chopsticks where she sat and was running the few steps over to Wheein in the doorway, hugging her with all her might.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god congratulations! When?”

“Like, half an hour ago, I got straight on the bus here and ran from the bus stop.” Wheein’s answer was out of breath already but the hug Byul gave her after it threatened to squeeze the last of the air from her lungs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life. Hang on, let me call Yongsun unnie.”

Byul stepped back and pulled out her phone, and any of the excitement that might have diminished on the journey over came back full force as Wheein was left facing her childhood best friend grinning ear to ear, and it hit her again that she had actually done it, she had got the job she had been dreaming of for as long as she could remember. 

Byulyi could barely hear Yongsun talking over the phone with the two of the squealing and laughing and jumping around in circles but judging by the noises she could make out, Yongsun was reacting with the exact same enthusiasm in her law office downtown.

As Byul put the phone on speaker and the girls stopped spinning to talk to her, Wheein teared up a little looking at her friends. How lucky was she? Seriously, who even has friends that would get this excited for them.

This time it was Wheein who pulled both Hyejin and Byul into a bone crushing hug, overwhelmed by everything she was feeling.

Grateful for her friends, joy at being employed, the strangest sense of relief. Somewhere in the back of her mind Wheein had truly believed that she wasn't getting any of the jobs she was applying for because she simply wasn't good enough for them, and maybe it was the disproving of that belief that was what got to her most of all.

Her degree wasn’t a waste after all! Take that, crushing student loan repayments.

**** 

Sitting on the bus into work the next Monday swallowed by her work blouse borrowed from Hyejin, the excitement had definitely given way to anxiety, and Wheein, may have been regretting every life choice that led her up to that point.

Her blissful state had lasted into the evening of that first day, and she had been lying in bed before thoughts of the practical situation hit her all at once and she had jolted upright in bed.

She had absolutely no clue what she was doing. She had no clothes, no professional experience, and perhaps most pressingly, still no money until her first pay check at the end of the month. 

Wheein fidgeted with her too long cuffs as her brain looped and looped round in thoughts that had stuck in her brain since then, and she tried to talk herself down a little.

No clothes? No problem, that’s what Hyejin’s wardrobe is for, never mind that where Hyejin’s curves fill out her clothes Wheein has a little less to work with. She liked baggy stuff anyway.

No experience? No one has experience at their first job, all she has to do is work hard and try not to disobey the vague and mysterious laws of office etiquette and she’d be fine, truly.

No money? Well Wheein wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with that one, paying her next months rent had left her with little more than change in her bank account and her secret stash of cup noodles could only last so long, but honestly at this point she was far more worried about the short term problems, namely that this was her stop and she still had no clue what she was doing.

Oh well. She could blame her unsteady legs on the movement of the bus, and she breathed deeply and carefully, set her eyes forward and tried to move with purpose as the bus slowed.   
As she stepped off the bus, she looked up at the building facing her and gulped. Was it always this looming and intimidating? Had she just not noticed when she ran through the doors for the first time? 

Here goes, she thought, bracing herself, and took her first steps into the building.

****

It turns out, anxiety fuelled thoughts of worst case scenarios dreamt up over weekends with nothing to do but sit and think very rarely come to fruition. 

In fact if Wheein not been so grateful for the day’s lack of eventfulness, she might’ve found it a little tedious, as being the youngest and newest member of the graphic design department she had found herself sat at her desk for the majority of the day, checking through senior designer’s work and emailing completed products through to the right departments.

Even lunch, which Wheein had dreaded, turned out to be a total non issue. Rather than being questioned as to why she wasn’t leaving her desk and eating, making it necessary to make up some sort of excuse that didn’t sound as bad as the truth of having no lunch money, no one seemed to notice or care when Wheein worked through her break.

Now though, as Wheein walked towards the main reception to scan out of the building with her employee pass, skipping breakfast because of nerves and lunch because of money was beginning to wear on her a little, but just as Wheein began to wonder if it was a cup noodle night or a go steal some of Hyejin's food night she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the desk she was headed to.

Later Wheein would wonder if it was lightheadedness from the lack of food that made her do it, but for some reason seeing the person who had been there in the elevator, the one who told her things could work out, her usual layer of shyness around strangers cracked and she found herself quickening into a trot.

“Unnie!” she called, her smile sounding in her voice. 

As she came face to face with a blank expression though, her smile froze, realising she had just essentially ran up to a stranger and shouted at her with no explanation.

“You’re Joohyun unnie, from the elevator, and I’m Wheein?” she continued much, much more timidly. 

Joohyun blinked for a second and looked her up and down, before showing a small smile to match Wheein’s much reduced shy one. 

“Hello Wheein. I take it your interview went well then?”

Wheein nodded furiously, bobbed hair bouncing as she struggled to find the right words to say.

“Yes thank you. Like, really thank you. I don’t think I would’ve even gone in if you hadn’t talked to me.”

Wheein never got to hear what Joohyun would’ve answered that with though, as her stomach picked that moment to voice it’s hunger in the loudest noise Wheein had possibly ever heard. She could’ve sworn it echoed in the lobby.

Wheein jumped (it seemed to be all she was doing these days), and Joohyun laughed, a surprised delighted sound.

“Hungry?” she teased, and Wheein felt herself blush and nod a little sheepishly.

“There’s a coffee shop just around the corner, want to come and get a celebratory muffin with me and you can tell me about how the new job is going?” Joohyun asked. “My treat.”

Wheein was still blushing, possibly even more now. 

“Alright.” she answered, and Joohyun’s smile turned a little satisfied and she gestured for Wheein to scan her pass and follow her out. 

Neither noticed Seulgi sat behind the reception desk, slack jawed and peering after them as they left, having witnessed the whole interaction and wondering what in the actual hell had just happened. She didn’t think she had ever heard the CEO of her company laugh, let alone be that warm with anyone.

She sat back in her chair and looked around for answers. hidden cameras maybe, or some aliens taking over people’s bodies or something. Seriously, what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me readers, for i have sinned and left this not updated for an eternity but look! its back

**Author's Note:**

> here's to hoping i don't accidentally abandon this and not write it - let me know what you think!


End file.
